Cons:

More than four long years after the Nintendo 64 was graced with Rare's rude and highly amusing Conker's Bad Fur Day, Xbox owners are finally going to get a true taste of what the UK developer is really capable of. Grabbed by the Ghoulies didn't really cut it, and for the longest time, gamers were left pondering why Microsoft blew massive amounts of cash acquiring Rare. But wonder no longer as Conker: Live & Reloaded delivers the goods with one or two caveats along the way.

Supplying a revamped -- and particularly gorgeous -- version of the original single-player Bad Fur Day is now only half the story. The big hook here is the brand-new online multiplayer Team Fortress Classic-style class-based warfare which pretty much guarantees the player two full games for the price of one. I'll cover the online game later, but for those who know nothing about Conker and his hangovers, here's the skinny on Bad Fur Day and why this is a great game for all mature-minded Xbox gamers.

Conker is a squirrel. He lives in a strange land of beer, sexual innuendo, appalling language and evil creatures bent on making his life miserable. He's in the doghouse with his exceptionally well-toned girlfriend, Berri, and it's up to Conker to recover from a heavy night out with the boys in order to kiss and make up with his honey. This won't be as simple as getting a dozen red roses delivered to her door, as she's been clubbed on the back of the head and dragged off by some unknown villains. It's up to you to sober up and track Berri down before it's too late.

The poor brave soul is the victim of a Seeker's blade

The majority of the gameplay for Bad Fur Day is 3D platforming, with the odd, obscure puzzle-solving element thrown in for good measure. The storyline is bizarre and ridiculous, but it's held up surprisingly over the last four years. Conker will need to jump, whack, and finagle his way through some truly crazy worlds filled with even crazier enemies and characters. The plotline of Conker also parallels those found in famous movies, including Bram Stoker's Dracula, Saving Private Ryan, and The Matrix.

Some great examples of the foul but funny stuff in the game include the part where Conker needs to force a herd of cows to drink copious amounts of prune juice in order to fill up a tanker full of, well, sloppy poo. This poo is then rolled into a big ball and pushed up a hill infested with Liverpudlian dung beetles, and in turn is used to gain entry to the lair of the Great Mighty Poo -- a soprano-singing crap monster who's Achilles' heel is toilet paper. Not exactly highbrow thinking, but gut-bustingly funny none the less.